Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Recently
discussed some Trivia with Friends and Family and I've decided to post it here.
I've come up with some good ones maybe, seems most people do not get the right answer by instinct. edit: Wound up being hurried, so redid this.

Q: Is the region where the Space Station is located considered to be at a temperature that is Cold, Warm, Hot, or Extremely Hot?

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Q: Why is it a bad idea to stand under a tree to shelter from lightning?

Answers below
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Q:
Zeppelins started attacking Britain in January 1915. The Brits were
finally able to shoot one down using an airplane how much later? Was it
*Roughly* 1 Month, 6 months, A Year, 18 Months, or 3 years?

Answers below

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Q: Is the region where the Space Station is located considered to be at a temperature that is Cold, Warm, Hot, or Extremely Hot?

A: It is Extremely Hot in temperature, but there is almost no heat.

Comments
and Sources: The region the International Space Station is in is called
the Thermosphere. It is considered part of the atmosphere because the
few atoms flying around do hit each other, although IIRC an atom might
travel miles before hitting another. At the point where atoms no longer
strike each other, it is no longer the atmosphere, again IIRC.

Wikipedia
has an article confirming that the temperature can reach over 3500
degrees Fahrenheit, see link. Also see the image showing the space
station is in the Thermosphere. The point is that heat and temperature
are not the same thing although we tend to think of it that way.

Another illustration: would you be afraid to place your hand in the way of sparks from a flint and steel device? That's around 1370°C. Of course you wouldn't, again there is impressive temperature but almost no heat.

Q: Why is it a bad idea to stand under a tree to shelter from lightning?

A:
The height of the tree attracts the lightning, but if it strikes, the
lightning will seek the path of least resistance. Wood is a
non-conductor, while a human is largely just a column of saltwater. Any
lightning striking the tree is then likely to travel to the person.

Q:
Zeppelins started attacking Britain in January 1915. The Brits were
finally able to shoot one down using an airplane how much later? Was it
*Roughly* 1 Month, 6 months, A Year, 18 Months, or 3 years?

A: It was Sept. 1916, way over 18 months and approaching 2 years.

Comments
and Source: The Zeppelins were state of the art, having a beginning in
the 19th Century, while airplanes were a new development, rushed into
production. The first planes were used for scouting, and dropping bombs
and firing guns was almost an afterthought. At first for shooting, the
pilot would just take a gun with him in the cockpit.

Thus the
Brits found themselves having to create defense from scratch including
anti-aircraft artillery, searchlights, listening systems, and better
aircraft with adequate speed, altitude, and sufficient and proper
ammunition. The gas bags were huge and just making leaks from bullets did little. Even the first introduction of incendiary ammo did not work, as a zone of hydrogen and oxygen needed to be created. Finally a combination of regular ammunition with incendiary alternating, and a technique of keeping to the same spot of attack to make a zone, proved effective.

About Me

THAT REALLY BOTHERS ME

I guess we will find out whether or not I should be blogging. But here goes; I really can get going on some of these things, so we'll put it out there and see if we get yawns, catcalls, or maybe some responses.